Thursday, June 10, 2010

Music for Microbes

The therapeutic benefits of music have long been recognized. The music of Mozart, in particular, has been singled out as a sort of wonder music that will make you smarter, make your unborn baby a genius, and generally create peace and harmony everywhere. Some claims are legit, some are bogus, and some are just plain strange.

A sewage treatment plant in Germany has discovered that playing Mozart helps sewage-digesting microbes perform their job faster. A lot faster. The plant estimates they will be able to save about 1000 euros per month by serenading their muck-munching microbes with Mozart. According to Anton Stucki, chief operator at the sewage treatment center in question, the theory is that the vibrations in the music "create a certain resonance that stimulates the microbes and helps them work better."

I would ask how they came up with this idea, but I'm not sure I want to know the answer.

This is a discovery with great potential, though. We all have microbes in our bodies that aid in digestion. Maybe a belly full of Mozart is a cure for all sorts of gastrointestinal woes? Sounds like a good research project to me....

About Me

I joined the KSO in 1986 as a core cellist. I became its principal cellist in 2000. My 25 years in the KSO have provided me with a wealth of experiences from which to draw in blogging. I involve myself with many different kinds of music besides classical. If it sounds good, it IS good! You should know that all of the posts up to September 30, 2010, inclusive, were written by our first blogger, Katy. We can't seem to get Blogger to make this distinction, so bear that in mind.